Opportunities & Calls

• Contests
• Opportunities Calls

The annual Business / Arts Awards recognize innovative partnerships between business and the arts, and spotlight exceptional volunteers, leaders and organizations who have made a significant contribution to the arts in Canada. For over 40 years, these awards have recognized champions of the Canadian arts sector and celebrated their commitment to fostering a vibrant cultural sector for all.

We are thrilled to announce that nominations for the 2023 Business / Arts Awards are now open until Friday, February 10th, 2023! Nominate yourself or another champion of the arts for one of the awards below. 

Edmund C. Bovey Award:

Honour an individual or a couple for their exceptional volunteer work and philanthropy in the arts. This award recognizes business professionals and/or philanthropists who have demonstrated a lifetime of significant philanthropy and/or volunteer leadership in arts and culture in Canada. 

The recipient will receive $20,000 to be directed to the arts organization(s) of their choice.

Learn more about eligibility criteria & how to nominate

Arnold Edinborough Award:

Help raise the profile of a young changemaker. This award is now open to young professionals from any sector who have made an outstanding contribution to the Canadian arts and culture sector.

The recipient will receive $5,000 to be directed to the arts organization(s) of their choice.

Learn more about eligibility criteria & how to nominate

Corporate Champion of the Arts Award:

Recognize the contributions of a corporate sponsor, partner or champion that has strengthened arts and culture in Canada through its long-standing support of and commitment to the sector. This award celebrates a business that has made a significant contribution to the arts through long-term, strategic support. 
Learn more about eligibility criteria & how to nominate

Community Impact Award:

Celebrate meaningful partnerships across business and the arts. This award recognizes an innovative partnership between an arts organization and a business that has enhanced the quality of life and enriched a local cultural scene through innovative program(s), creative business partnerships or neighbourhood revitalization initiatives.
Learn more about eligibility criteria & how to nominate

Visit businessandarts.org/nominate to learn more about the Business / Arts Awards program, the eligibility criteria for each award and how to nominate yourself or another champion of the arts. Nominations are open until Friday, February 10th, 2023.

• Artist calls
• Opportunities Calls

Calling poets of all ages to participate in Words in Motion, a community-based program that encourages literacy and appreciation for poetry. Participants are encouraged to write their best poetry and submit them to wordsinmotion@wbrl.ca by January 31^st, 2023.

An external panel of community judges will select the poems to be displayed in the Wood Buffalo Regional Library. Authors of the selected poems will be invited to participate in a celebration event on the first floor of the Wood Buffalo Regional Library on April 19^th, 2023 from 7:00-8:00 PM.

• Poem submissions must be in Microsoft Word and sent via email to wordsinmotion@wbrl.ca with the title of the poem, the writer’s full name, number, and email address. If you wish to remain anonymous, please indicate that in your submission. 

• Maximum of three entries per person.

• Previously published poems will not be accepted.

• Poems can be of any theme, form or language.

• Class poems (i.e poems collectively created by a classroom with guidance from the teacher) are allowed. However, class assignments with teachers setting up a ‘formula’ for students to fill in will be disqualified.

• Students who do not wish to have their poems selected by their teacher can participate through the Public category, however, please do not submit the same poem through multiple categories.

• Poem selection will be judged based on originality, appropriateness, poetic techniques, organization and flow, emotion, image, and imagination.

There are three categories for submissions: 

• Public: Anyone who resides in the Wood Buffalo Region.

• High School Grades 7-12
  •  Submit your poems to your class teacher. We request that classroom teachers submit 5-10 poems from their class that best fit the program. In each submission, include the:

• Student’s name
• Email address
• Contact number
• School name
• Grade level 

• Elementary School Grades 1-6
  • Submit your poems to your class teacher. We request that classroom teachers submit 5-10 poems from their class that best fit the program. In each submission, include the:

• Student’s name
• Email address (parents)
• Contact number (parents)
• School name
• Grade level 

• Contests
• Opportunities Calls

Submissions for the 2022 Danuta Gleed Literary Award are now open. All submissions must be received by January 31, 2023. 

The Danuta Gleed Literary Award was created as a celebration of the life of Danuta Gleed, a writer whose short fiction won several awards before her death in December 1996. Danuta Gleed’s first collection of short fiction, One of the Chosen, was posthumously published by BuschekBooks. The award is made possible through a generous donation from John Gleed, in memory of his late wife, and is administered by The Writers’ Union of Canada.

Each year, a $10,000 prize is awarded to a Canadian writer for the best first collection of published short fiction in the English language. Two finalists are also awarded $1,000 each.

The winners of the 2021 Danuta Gleed Literary Award were announced on June 1, 2022. Read the press release here.

• Opportunities Calls
• Funding

The Translation component of Arts Across Canada funds activities linked to the translation of Canadian literary works or dramatic works into French, English, an Aboriginal (First Nations, Inuit or Métis) language, American Sign Language (ASL), Langue des signes québécoise (LSQ), or any other regional Canadian or Indigenous sign language for Canadian publication or presentation. In case of sign language translation, sign language should be the language or one of the languages of performance.

For the translation of literary works: the Canada Council for the Arts is administering, on behalf of the Department of Canadian Heritage, the National Translation Program for Book Publishing (NTPBP) and we acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada.

You may be eligible for Application Assistance to pay someone to help you with the application process if you are experiencing difficulty and self-identify as:

• an artist who is Deaf, hard of hearing, has a disability or is living with a mental illness
• a First Nations, Inuit or Métis artist facing language, geographic and/or cultural barriers.

Activities – what is eligible

Your application can include 1 or more requests to:

• translate Canadian-authored literary work into French, English or an Aboriginal (First Nations, Inuit or Métis) language, for publication
• translate and surtitle Canadian-authored dramatic work into French, English or an Aboriginal (First Nations, Inuit or Métis) language, for Canadian presentation
• translate Canadian-authored dramatic work into American Sign Language (ASL), Langue des signes québécoise (LSQ), or any other regional or Indigenous sign language for Canadian presentation.

In addition, literary publishers can apply once per year for an Annual Supplement for reading fees, bilingual editing and promotional expenses; and applicants for sign language translation can apply for an Annual Supplement for video documentation of the translated work(s).

You can’t apply for activities that occur before the deadline date, those that receive funding from another Canada Council program or those on the general list of ineligible activities.

Who can apply

Types of potential applicants to this component include:

• literary publishers
• theatre and multidisciplinary groups and collectives
• theatre companies and dramaturgical organizations
• multidisciplinary organizations
• First Nations, Inuit and Métis groups or collectives
• First Nations, Inuit and Métis organizations
• Deaf and disability arts organizations
• Deaf and disability arts groups and collectives

Your eligibility to apply to this component is determined by the validated profile created in the portal.

• Up to $25 000 for each translation, plus an Annual Supplement for targeted costs

Additionally, for organizations with profiles in Literature (with the exception of Indigenous Publishers), you must presently receive core support through the Supporting Artistic Practice: Literary Publishers component.

Organizations presently receiving core grants can apply to this component.

 The upcoming application deadline is January 11, 2023.

• Other
• Opportunities Calls

Exposure 2023 Portfolio Review is a professional development event that provides a unique
opportunity to present your work* to some of the most influential leading professionals in
photography worldwide—from curators to practitioners, editors to educators.

Reviewers new to the upcoming event include:

• Alicia Buates Mckenzie, Interim Director of TRUCK Contemporary Art (Calgary)
• Anne Ewen, Chief Curator of Art and Heritage at the Whyte Museum of the Canadian
Rockies (Banff)
• Ann M. Jastab and Muema Lombe, Director & President of Center for Photographic Art
(Carmel CA USA)
• Audrey Sands, Photography Curator & Historian (USA)
• Crista Dix, Executive Director of the Griffin Museum of Photography (Winchester, MA,
USA)
• Jessica Piette, Curator, Writer & Project Coordinator at Multistory (UK)
• Jon Lowenstein, National Geographic Explorer & Owner, Future Legacy (Calgary)
• Leah Hennel, Photographer (Calgary)
• Lillian O’Brien Davis, Curator of Exhibitions and Public Programs at the Gallery 44 Centre
for Contemporary Photography (Toronto)
• Niamh Tracey, Curator and Coordinator of FORMAT International Photography Festival
(Derby, UK)
• Phoebe Alice Evans, Assistant Curator in Photography at the Victoria & Albert Museum
(London, UK)
• Sanaa Humayun, Director of The New Gallery (Calgary) and more!

The 2023 events will take place on Saturday 11 February (online) and Saturday 25 February (in-
person, at the Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning, University of Calgary.)

Deadline for Registrations: Sunday 8 January, Midnight MT

Registration fee: $150

For full line up of Reviewers and more information on the events, please see
www.exposurephotofestival.com/exposure-2023-portfolio-review

Any questions or need support with your registration? Please email
Beth@ExposurePhotoFest.com

*Please note that this event is for all Photographers and Visual Artists who wish to present
photographic work or works inspired by, challenge and/or incorporate the photographic
medium. Registered Photographers and Visual Artists can be at any stage of their creative
journeys and be based here in Alberta or anywhere in the world!

• Other
• Artist calls
• Opportunities Calls

Keyano Theatre Company is bringing Anne of Green Gables – The Musical to the Keyano Stage this spring! 

Based on the beloved novel by L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables – The Musical™ follows the precocious and imaginative Anne Shirley as she captures the hearts and minds of her newfound family and neighbours in the small farming community of Avonlea – simply by virtue of her own pluck and personality. This original, glorious adaptation – now firmly embedded in Canadian national culture and musical theatre canon – continues to enrapture audiences around the world with its rich score and a rare, affecting story for all ages.  

Jump in and get involved by auditioning for this Keyano Theatre Company production. Come on out and make your mark! There are many ways to be involved in this amazing production whether it’s on stage as a cast member, backstage as a crew member or in the front of the house. This Keyano Theatre Company production will be Directed by Thomas Usher, with Music Direction by Hilary Hornberger, and Choreographed by Helen Killorn. 

Auditions are happening on January 27 and 28 with callbacks happening on January 29! 

For more information, you can reach out to auditions@keyano.ca or 780-791-4990.

• Contests
• Opportunities Calls

Calling all Playwrights! Our Annual Playwriting Competition is seeking submissions from all Canadian authors.

Theatre BC has been a parent organization for community theatre across the province since 1932. It annually hosts Mainstage—a competition amongst community theatre companies each July. Mainstage is the largest provincial theatre festival of its kind in Canada.

The Canadian Playwriting Competition is open to original scripts of drama or comedy, either full-length or one-act. Deadline for entry is December 31 annually. Independent jurors will decide upon winners in each category with a prize of $1,000 awarded for the chosen full-length, $750 for the one-act, and $500 for a script of special merit. In addition, one of the three winning plays may be chosen to be workshopped at Theatre BC’s Mainstage festival in July. This choice will be made at the discretion of the judges.

There are three rounds of judging and writers will be notified of the results of each round. All scripts successfully passing to the next round will receive brief notes from the judges. Finalists will be notified when the jury process is complete in May. Winners will be notified and will also be celebrated at our Annual Provincial Theatre Festival “Mainstage” Awards Ceremony (July).

• Artist calls
• Opportunities Calls

Auditions: December 9 & 10, 2022
Call-backs: December 11, 2022
Suncor Energy Centre for the Performing Arts (230 Powder Dr)

Swamp Rat Experience is thrilled to produce the 2023 fundraising dinner theatre for Waypoints, a Wood Buffalo non-profit helping individuals affected by domestic, family and sexual violence. Parts of the SRE fees for producing this show are donated to Waypoints as in-kind support in an effort to support their work.

We can’t announce the play yet – but it will be spectacularly groovy and include improv, singing and audience interaction!

All the information you need is in the Production Guide, including important dates, roles, and more!

• Other
• Opportunities Calls

Overview

The Late Winter Writers Residency Online is a small cohort program that gives you a chance to learn from each other and faculty, attend exclusive talks, ask questions, and develop your practice.

What does the program offer?

This two week online residency provides broad thematic teaching from faculty members, Dani Spinosa and Kate Siklosi, Q&A sessions and workshopping. Instructors will discuss ideas, experiences, and obstacles that you may be encountering with your writing of both poetry and fiction.

One-on-one mentorship will allow you to receive direct mentorship on craft and professional development.

Who should apply?

Writers in Fiction and Poetry are invited to apply. The online program is designed for emerging and established writers with a proven publication record. We welcome writers from all ages, backgrounds, and all gender identities and expressions.

Application Deadline: November 23, 2022

Program Dates: February 06 – February 17, 2023

*Financial Aid of 100% of the program fee is available for this program. 

• Artist calls
• Opportunities Calls

Proposal submission deadline is December 12, 2022, by 11:59pm

This is an open call for Alberta artists to submit a proposal for the TREX Hallway Gallery.
Named after its long narrow dimensions, the exhibition space has one entrance and three walls.
One long wall is metal while its opposite wall is brick, and the hallway ends with a tall but narrow
wall of drywall. The two long walls are equipped with rail hanging systems; however, the space
also lends itself well to creative installation initiatives.

*Please see the Hallway Gallery mock-up for more specific dimensions and details about the
space.

We are looking for engaging proposals that respond to the space and take into consideration
potential interactions with viewing audiences – with preference being given to artworks and
exhibitions that are sculptural, performative, and/or mixed-media in nature. We would also like
for each new use of the TREX SW Hallway Gallery to offer an educational or public engagement
component. In your proposal, please indicate if you are interested in working with the organizers
on developing this, or if you have a specific educational component you are envisioning, please
tell us.

Please note that this is the first of what we hope will be many open calls for the TREX Hallway
Gallery. As such, for now it is seeking to fill just a few exhibition slots between January 2023
and the end of June 2023.

Eligibility

This call is only open to artists residing within Alberta over the age of 18, whose studio practice
is based primarily within the province. Art collectives or groups are welcome to apply.

Responsibilities of the Artist(s) and Fees

Installation/take-down assistance is available for out-of-town applicants, however shipment and
delivery of materials and/or artworks as well as retrieval of materials and/or artworks at the
close of the exhibition duration is the responsibility of the artist. CARFAC fees will be paid to
artists for exhibiting and for conducting an educational/engagement workshop as part of the
exhibition’s deliverables.

• Opportunities Calls
• Job Opportunities

APPLICATION DEADLINE: DECEMBER 13, 2022

Are you an Artstrek alumni who is a highly motivated, fun-loving, and creative team player with a penchant for safety (and shenanigans)? If you have the drive to nurture emerging Albertan artists, Theatre Alberta is looking for YOU! 

Artstrek Supervisors (Supers) are the backbone of curating the Artstrek student experience. They are responsible for creating extracurricular programming to engage students socially and artistically outside of class time, as well as ensuring that all students’ needs are met around the clock. 

Artstrek Supervisors are:

• alumni of Artstrek
• excellent, clear, and level-headed communicators
• indispensable teammates who are ready to jump into action at a moment’s notice
• energetic and strong leaders with remarkable work ethic
• well-accustomed to working with youth
• between the ages of 20 and 28
• super duper fun with an enormous sense of humor! 

ABOUT THE POSITION

• Artstrek Supers are contracted to be at Red Deer Polytechnic from Monday, July 10, through Saturday, July 29, 2023, to facilitate student experience and safety for Explorations I and II.
• Supervisors are provided shared accommodation on campus and daily meals for the duration of the contract.
• Supervisors arrive one week prior to the commencement of the program (July 10 – July 14) and work together to develop procedures that ensure our students remain safe, engaged, and happy.
• Supervisors are led by Artstrek Administrative Director Sue Goberdhan, and a team of Senior Supervisors (Super-Supers), who are there to ensure the entire team is prepared and bolstered for three weeks of hard work and fun times curating the Artstrek student experience.
• Artstrek 2023 is divided into two separate weeks of instruction (Explorations) for different age groups.
  • Theatre Exploration I (July 16 – 21, 2023): This six-day program is for enthusiastic theatre lovers who are 13 to 15 years old.
  • Theatre Exploration II (July 23 – 29, 2023): This seven-day program is for 16 to 18 year olds with a keen interest in theatre and a dedication to increasing their knowledge and skill level.
• Anticipated honorarium of $3,000, pending confirmation of funding.

APPLICATION PACKAGES SHOULD INCLUDE:

• a resume that outlines your theatre/arts, education, and employment experience
• any recent photograph (to help us remember you!)
• a cover letter that
  • lets us know which year(s) you attended Artstrek
  • outlines your qualifications
  • speaks to what would make you an asset to the Super team 
  • speaks to your experience working with teens
• if a video or audio recording is more accessible for you than a written letter, these will also be considered (no more than five minutes in length, please)
  • to exercise the video or audio recording options, please reach out to Andrew at andrew@theatrealberta.com for upload options as part of your application

HIRING NOTES:

Theatre Alberta is committed to inclusive hiring. We encourage applications from individuals who self-identify as members of under-represented communities. Artstrek is a safe space that welcomes and fosters inclusivity, both in our staff and our students. 

We thank you in advance for your interest. Only those applicants shortlisted for the interview process will be contacted. Interviews will take place on January 5 and 6, 2023. Please note that successful applicants will be required to obtain a Criminal Record Check with a Vulnerable Sectors Search.

TO APPLY: 

If you are interested in being considered as a Supervisor for Artstrek 2023, please send your application package in PDF format to Theatre Alberta Program Coordinator Andrew Ritchie at andrew@theatrealberta.com. You can contact Andrew with any questions as well.

• Opportunities Calls
• Funding

Whether you are finally putting that winning idea to paper, or digging out an old draft you never quite finished, we’re here to encourage you to take that next step! All submissions will receive written notes from the jury, but only winning scripts will receive an in-person feedback session. The winning short script (under 50 pages) will receive $250, and the winning feature-length script (50 page minimum.) will receive $500.

Submissions for this year’s Next Draft: Emerging Screenwriter’s Grant are open from August 1st, 2022 to December 1st, 2022.

You are able to submit as many scripts as you like, but please ensure the scripts follow the eligibility guidelines. If you submitted last year and didn’t win, we welcome you to submit an updated draft of your script. For the purposes of this grant, Emerging Screenwriters are defined as individuals who have not previously had a screenplay produced by a third party or production company.

HOW IT WORKS

Please fill out the contact form on this page and attach your script(s). We advise that you include a synopsis (max 700 characters) and indicated a short section of the script that you feel best represents the film (max 20-pages). This is due to time constraints; jurors are not required to read every submission in full. Once you submit, our programming manager will contact you with an invoice for your submission(s). The cost to submit is $10 per script for FAVA Members, $20 per script for non-members. Submissions that are not paid for will not be evaluated by the jury; the deadline to pay for your script is one week after the submission deadline.

PRIZES

• Selected Feature Film Script (50 page minimum.): $500
• Selected Short Film Script (under 50 pages): $250
• A one-on-one feedback session

All submissions will receive written notes from the jury, but only winning scripts will receive an in-person feedback session.

Scripts must follow industry-standard formatting, include a title page and be submitted as a PDF. If you are not certain what industry-standard format looks like, please review THIS PAGE.

ELIGIBILITY

For the purposes of this grant, Emerging Screenwriters are defined as individuals who have not previously had a screenplay produced by a third party or production company. All submissions will receive written notes from the jury, but only winning scripts will receive an in-person feedback session. Screenwriters who have self-produced their work in the past are welcome to apply. Screenwriters can submit a short and a feature script, but will only be eligible to win in one category (if both are worthy, preference will be given to the feature). If you submitted in previous years and didn’t win, we welcome you to submit an updated draft of your script; previous Next Draft winning scripts are not eligible. Only those residing in Alberta are eligible.

If submitting multiple scripts, please fill out the submission form separately for each script.